Hold Onto Sound Doctrine (Titus 2:1-10)

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Titus 2:1-10
'But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. Older women likewise are to be reverent in behaviour, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us. Bondservants are to be submissive to their own masters in everything; they are to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, not pilfering, but showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour.'

The Apostle Paul has just finished telling Titus that he must look out for those who do not practice what they preach and encourages him to Hold Onto The Truth. In so doing, Titus and those he speaks to must also Hold Onto Jesus.

Now Paul implores Titus to stand apart from these false teachers and teach what is sound doctrine 'But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine.'. Titus must use what he knows about Christ, about how he should live, to live. Everything he does must be based on Scripture, everything must be tested to what Scripture says and he must not deviate from it - otherwise he will become like the false teachers - those very people he has just been advised about.

There is an element of that truth for us as well - we, as today's Christians must live according to what the Bible tells us, we must ensure that our lives are in accordance with sound doctrine - based on scripture, tested against scripture, so if we are compared, people would see that what we say is true and Christ is the Saviour.

To emphasise this, Paul goes on to give instructions to all groups of people within the church that Titus is working with. There are five groups of people mentioned who cover just about everyone: Older men; older women; young women; young men; and bondservants. Each group of people are to be taught how they should be living again with sound doctrine in mind in each case.

OLDER MEN

Older men are considered the senior part of the church, they should, by the very virtue of being older and more experienced with life, be wiser and more mature. These men should be taught to be 'sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness'. These men should not be influenced by alcohol (or in terms of today, perhaps this could refer to anything that could lead the man to becoming an addict of something!) and live a life that others respect. Those in the church should live a life where people look up to them, not because of position or power, but because of how they live their life, they should be wise in life. These men should also show restraint, self-control in everything they encounter. They must think carefully before jumping in, look at every possible angle before getting involved, etc. As older men, they would be expected to be sound in everything they put their mind to, not least the three cardinal Christian virtues of faith (trusting God), love (serving others) and in steadfastness (waiting patiently for the fulfillment of their Christian hope).

OLDER WOMEN

Older women are, likewise are to be taught three virtues, given them a specific position in the church and in the Christian Family. First they must be 'reverent in behaviour' - they should live a life that is openly sound, almost priestess-like. They should have a character that no-one can judge as being bad or wrong. As if to emphasise this, Paul mentions two negative behaviours, older women should stay clear of: being slanderers and slaves to much wine. If the older women are living a Godly life, then they should not be slanderers, for if they were to be slanderers, this would negate their Godly behaviour. In a similar way to the older men, they should not be influenced by to much wine. Today, this could be translated, I guess, to any addictions. This should be so as to be able to teach the younger women.

YOUNG WOMEN

This is the only group Titus does not need teach, as this job falls to the older women who will teach them how to love their husbands and children, be self-controlled, working at home, kind and submissive to their own husbands. This is a tall order in today's world, particularly with more and more women needing to get a job. Although this was not the case at the time the letter was written, I believe the Bible and the words within it are appropriate for any age. Young women should be just like their mothers - caring for the family, in which ever capacity that may be, whether at home working, or in a job working. Young women who work for a living should do so for the love of their family, irrespective of whether their husbands work or not. They should be open to the teachings of the older women.

YOUNG MEN

Young men should follow suit as the young women in that they must be self-controlled. This would be in every aspect of their lives. Although not as wise and experienced as the older men, young men should be self-controlled in things that could cause them to become addicts, being influenced by other people, specifically those of a non-Christian ethos and in the same way should be influenced by Christian brothers. They should be encouraged to continue in this way of life because the world's pleasures are strong, particularly pleasures like sex, alcohol, and young women - but young men must stay in control of their minds. To this end, they must have a suitable example and Paul states here that Titus must be that example.

Titus must live his life respectfully, he must live to do good works and his teaching must be truth and consistent and he must live what he preaches. All his speech, not just his sermons and teachings, must be sound, he must give nothing that could allow anyone who is not a Christian to slander or condemn him and have nothing evil to say about us.

BOND SERVANTS

Although not many of these around today, they could be linked with those who work under us in our work place (since most of us do not have servants in our homes!), however, whatever the identity, they should be submissive to their masters. That means do what their bosses want them to do without complaint or derision. This is probably a group that most of us fall into, particularly if we work for a manager. We should not fall into the trap of grumbling when decisions are made, we should not find ourselves talking behind the management's back and we must not steal from the workplace, however small it may seem, but in everything we do, we must do in good faith. We must live like we are supposed to do, like Christians, 'so that in everything they [anyone] may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour'.

Christ died so that we may be saved. This is folly to the unbeliever. They think 'What is the point?', if there is any possibility of truth. They (non-believers) are always looking out for when we (believers) do or say things wrong. They want to put us in our places, want to point out our failures, want to prove that we are deluded to believe in a man who died 2000 years ago (if that story is true!).

Today, the false teaching is just as apparent as it was in Paul and Titus' time. People have slipped back into their natural ways, because it is easier rather than doing what Christ wants us to do. Living a life according to our own wills and wants is more pleasurable in the immediate term than to sacrifice the worldly pleasures for the sake of the Gospel and of Christ.

This is why it is extremely important to ensure that we encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ every day. We must meet regularly, pray together, read God's word to hear what he is saying to us regularly, we must encourage each other to talk, to share our weaknesses, our temptations and, yes, we must talk about our sin. Satan does not want us to talk about our sin because he wants us to ignore it, to allow it to slip through our lives until it is an integral part of it. However, as a Christian, we already know that sin is ALREADY an integral part of our lives. We are born to it. We cannot escape it. But we must not, according to Paul allow it govern our lives.

Christ died to pay the penalty of our sin. Once and for all to bring us back to God.

If he did that for us, why wouldn't we want to live that is sober-minded dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness?

Hold Onto The Truth (Titus 1:10-16)

Source: BocaWatch

Titus 1:10-16
For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision party. They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach. One of the Cretans, a prophet of their own, said, "Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons." This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, not devoting themselves to Jewish myths and the commands of people who turn away from the truth. To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled. They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.

Today's media is constantly telling us we must do something, or we must take up a deal before it is too late or that we desperately need the next device to make our lives easier. Using a series of key action words, producers of adverts have got the spoken and written language down to a perfect tee, in order for consumers to buy into their product (whatever it happens to be!). Likewise, people who tell you that it is OK to do things that are clearly wrong know how to encourage us to do these detestable things, whether by general 'egging-on' or through a series of perfectly timed phrases (akin to what the serpent did in Eden).

Many of our young people feel the pressure of their peers to smoke, consume alcohol or drugs or worse, to have sex. Our young people (and in some cases our adults) are strongly influenced by what they read in magazines or watch on T.V./Internet. There are lots of people out there in the world that know exactly what to say or do to get you to follow them.

Many people are lost to the wills of those who say there is no God; you can do whatever you want; life is what you make of it; its OK to explore yourself; its OK to try just one; its OK not to honour God. The list could go on - this is what people are being bombarded with constantly every day. A seemingly harmless cartoon that teaches our children it is OK to fight or a film that paints a picture of adultery being normal behaviour.

I guess we can take some encouragement, therefore, when Paul writes about this very thing here. He has just finished advising Titus on the characteristics of those he should appoint as church leaders. He tells them to be faithful by holding onto Jesus. Now, he identifies the urgency of why Titus must chose these leaders with such characteristics. This is a stark warning to Titus that he will have to deal with people who are dead against him and his teaching. In fact, people who teach other things to people, messages that are not of God, but of worldly gains and pleasures.

These people are 'insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers', they refuse to submit to the authority of God and his trustworthy message. They work to 'turn away [people] from the truth' in what they say and how they live. They 'deny him by their works'. They go out of their way to persuade you that their way of thinking is correct, and in turn, the Scripture's way of thinking is wrong.

Why?

They want you to be the centre of the universe. You are the human being, the pinnacle of the animal kingdom, the most advanced species of animal on the face of the planet and, indeed, the known universe. You are the only animal that alters the surrounding environment to suit yourself, you are the centre of all that is. God is just a figment we have created, a deity to explain something Science cannot. Even then, it is only a matter of time before Science will have the answer to everything important. They are causing problems with not just our young people, but everyone. 'they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach.'. You only live once, so why bother worrying about how you live - have fun, as the Bible says, "Eat, Drink and Be Merry!"

Paul says, this is wrong. So called, 'empty talking'. We must hold onto Jesus, he says in order to silence them and 'rebuke them sharply'. He says these people are 'defiled and unbelieving'.

Society would have you believe that morality is what we, the people make of it. We are in control of our lives, we decide what is right and wrong, we decide what is acceptable and what is not. But Paul, declares that morality is not a matter of rules about things that are pure and impure by nature or decree, but a matter of the disposition of the heart.

We have forgotten the true Emperor of the Universe. We have forgotten who the creator is. We have all turned away and fallen short of the Kingdom of God and time is running out! Christ will return again, we must be ready, we must hold onto the truth, the real truth and nothing but the truth - God's truth not our perceptive truth.

There is a sense of urgency here - we must hold firmly to our faith in Christ Jesus, stand firm against the Devil's lies and love our neighbour in order to lead them to 'be sound in the faith'.

Hold Onto Jesus - (Titus 1:5-9)

Titus 1:5-9

The reason I left you in Crete was that you might put in order what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you. An elder must be blameless, faithful to his wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. Since an overseer manages God's household, he must be blameless - not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. He must hold firmly to the trustworthy  message as it has been taught so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.

Over the past several years I have held various positions of responsibilities, both in my church life and in my job. I have thrived in those positions, instigating new ideas and seeing them through to completion. But in some cases, I have had to move on before the fruits of my labour has been obvious and I had to go through the pain staking action of handing over to someone else who will fill my role.

Paul is doing that here. This letter to Titus begins with instruction to Titus, an early church leader. He had worked closely with Paul in the early days of his conversion, no doubt following one of the numerous sermons that Paul delivered to the Greeks. Paul is handing over the responsibility to Titus to ensure the church in Crete continued to thrive in the right direction, 'that you might put in order what was left unfinished...'

Paul wanted to ensure the work he begun in Crete was completed correctly. He goes on to explain that Titus could not do this himself and so must appoint elders in every church. Although we do not know how many were to be chosen, we know they should be of high calibre, upright citizens who know the Lord and have their own house in order.

But, why so perfect? Can we get that level of perfection?

Paul is quite clear here, those chosen for this high position in church communities must be 'blameless, faithful to his wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient.' Isn't that a tall order? Even the children of the elder's must be perfect? Who are these people that the entire family must be perfect to lead God's people?

Lets think about this a little more, these elders were to be in charge of God's household here on Earth. They were to be examples of holy living. Reproachable in the eyes of the law and approachable in the eyes of the church goers. These men (as it is written in Paul's letter) were to be good citizens in order to provide counsel to the church goers, they were to be a living example to all.

How could they be trusted to lead the church, if they themselves were imperfect? They couldn't and Paul knows this. He is not saying people must be perfect. He knows that we are all sinners. We are dishonest. We do give way to wild and disobedient lives. We are not self-controlled. He knows we are incapable of living such a perfect life, but we are called to be holy. 'holy and disciplined' You see, Paul is not just talking about the elders here, he is talking about every Christian. He wants every Christian to follow suit, with the elders as examples.

But, how can we live a holy life if we, ourselves, are incapable of living a holy life? Is Paul setting us up for a mighty fall? Is he setting the bar incredibly high so that everyone falls short and fails?

Of course, the answer is no. He is pointing us to the ultimate example of perfection. The only person who is 'self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined', Jesus Christ.

Christ lives the life he asks of us. He is holy and he wants us to be but he knows we can't on our own. We are inherent sinners who constantly do things wrong. Christ knows this yet he still gave his life for us. It is through this love that we can have that holy life. 

Christ died so we can live. Christ clothes us in his perfection and takes on our imperfect himself. The Son died so we can stand in the presence of the father, perfect. He rose again so we can be reborn in him. Therefore, he calls us to live a holy life in him. 

But we must 'hold firmly to the trustworthy message', that is in Christ Jesus and rely completely on him. 

Hold On To Your Hope (Titus 1:1-4)

Source: http://kurtbubna.com/

Titus 1:1-4
Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God's elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness, in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began and at the proper time manifested in his word through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Saviour; To Titus, my true child in a common faith: Grace and peace from God the father and Christ Jesus our Saviour.

We live in a world where society rules. Society dictates how we live, what we read or watch, what we wear and in some cases, what we believe in. We are constantly being bombarded with temptations that lure us away from God. The use of key words and images appeal to our desires and make us believe we cannot do without them. How are we, as Christians, meant to live in such a society? How can we possibly resist a society so powerful?

The apostle Paul opens this letter with a long and detailed commentary of his apostleship. Given the general topic of the letter to Titus, one can imagine he is ensuring any reader that he has authority to write such things, however, Paul is also telling us why he preaches and in so doing explains what we should do.

Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ identifies three characteristics of God's people.

Faith

... faith of God's elect

God's people are believers in God. They have faith in Jesus Christ his son. This is a characteristic we must work on daily, for if we don't the world's influences will subject us to sin, time and time again. We must have faith to remain strong for it is Christ's strength that helps us resist temptation. It is for this reason, Paul preaches ... for the sake of the faith of God's elect ...

Paul understands the importance of preaching the Gospel. This is a fantastic tool to guard yourselves against Satan. It serves to remind us of the power and love of God made evident through the death of Jesus, his son.

Therefore, Paul preaches for the sake of their faith.

Knowledge

... knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness

Faith and knowledge belong together. It is those who knows God's name who put their faith in him. Their knowledge of God's name or revealed character is the basis of their faith. They trust him because they know he is trustworthy. Paul speaks of a knowledge of the truth, a knowledge that can grow as you read and interact with the scriptures. Indeed, as you delve deeper and deeper into the word, you become more godly. This is an essential feature of truth and is the perfect test of authenticity - if it comes from God, it must lead to God!

Therefore, Paul preaches to help us grow in our knowledge of God.

Hope

... hope of eternal life

God's people have a hope that is sure and steadfast (Hebrews 6:19). Our Christian hope is such a firm foundation of our Christian life that our faith and our knowledge of the truth may be described as resting on it.

How can we be so sure of this hope? Simply because God has given a threefold guarantee of eternal life.

First: God ... promised before the ages began. Eternal life is part of his eternal purpose for his people. It is the reward for having faith in God and his Christ, Jesus.

Second: He is a God who never lies. We lie all the time. We lie without thinking about lying. We lie to save face. We are notorious liars, but God does not lie! ... he cannot deny himself (2 Timothy 2:19) and ... it is impossible for God to lie (Hebrews 6:18).

Third: This same trustworthy God who made this promise of eternal life has at the proper time manifested in his word through the preaching with which [Paul has] been entrusted by the command of God our Saviour.

The promise, the character and the gospel of God combine together to guarantee this promise of eternal life. God first promised eternal life before time began, he revealed the promise to the world in his time (the proper time) through the Gospel and he will fulfil it when time comes to an end.

Therefore, Paul preaches to remind us of God's promise until it is fulfilled, as (if you are like me) we tend to forget easily!

So, what should we do?

We must preach the Gospel to ourselves everyday to grow in knowledge of the truth and faith, only then can we hold onto the hope of eternal life.

Be Obedient! (Philemon v21-25)

Source: Uncompromising!

The apostle Paul, currently sitting in prison for preaching the Gospel of Christ has written a letter to Philemon, a past convert through Paul with one request: 'reconsider how you treat Onesimus, your slave, as he has also heard the Gospel of Christ and his life has been changed, just as yours has been'.

Verse 21-22
Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say. At the same time, prepare a guest room for me, for I am hoping that through your prayers I will be graciously given to you. 

Paul is confident that Philemon will accept his proposal and treat Onesimus differently to just being a slave. There is no indication that Paul wishes for him to be set completely free, however, he may hint towards that when he says, 'for I am hoping that through your prayers I will be graciously given to you'. Knowing Paul is currently in prison and referring to the likely event of his freedom, Philemon may be moved to have compassion upon Onesimus and set him free from his 'imprisonment' (i.e. slavery). Although Paul uses the word, 'obedience', he is not expecting obedience out of authority or compulsion. Instead, Paul emphasizes Philemon's compassion and generosity and showing that he knows with 100% confidence that Philemon will do everything within his power to follow the guidance.

He may be requesting Philemon to pray for his release to freedom or maybe identifying he knows he has been praying with those in his house-church. Either way, Paul leans on that spiritual act by asking Philemon to 'prepare a guest room'. Paul knows he will be released. He doesn't just think it will happen, he expects it to happen. That is his hope!

Of course, he does not want to leave prison for the sake of his own freedom, more that he wishes to spend some time with his new convert, Onesimus and his spiritual brother, Philemon in his house-church (I will be graciously given to you). That being said, he clearly leans on God's grace for any chance of freedom never doubting it will happen.

Verse 23-25
Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you, and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

The ending of the letter is characteristic of Paul, sending greeting of those close to him, but finishing with a prayer for Philemon's spiritual journey ('The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit'), surely a reminder to Philemon (and his church) of God's grace setting them free from the slavery of sin.

Philemon owned slaves, but, he was a slave himself; a slave to sin. Just like you and me, he was a slave to his worldly passions and natural desires.

He heard the Gospel of Christ through Paul, the apostle and discovered that Christ had set him free from slavery to sin. His life was changed. He was made perfect in Christ as long as he remained obedient to God.

Now Onesimus, a slave of Philemon's has done wrong by running away. He too was a slave to sin. His heart was governed by worldly passions and natural desires, just like Philemon.

Paul, the same apostle who led the conversion of Philemon, shares the Gospel with Onesimus and declares him free by the blood of Christ. He too is changed. He has also been made perfect in Christ so long as he remains obedient to God.

Two people who are complete opposites in their status in society; one wealthy, one a slave have the same story!

Two extremes of people; two different worlds of living; the wealthy and the poor; the educated and not so educated; the free owner of slaves and the slave that is owned - hear the same Gospel message which results in their life being changed.

The request is simple: just believe, obey Christ and be effective in your faith.

It does not matter who we are, whether we're a wealthy employer or an employee scraping by on minimum wage, an owner of a mansion or someone without a home or if we're begging for our next meal or have everything we want and more, no matter what position in society we place ourselves - we are all slaves to sin.

The good news is, however, Christ ignores our status in society, he is not interested in our achievements or how much wealth we have acquired. He is only interested in our spiritual souls.

So then, when it comes down to it, with all the barriers stripped away, the only important consideration is Christ: he alone is the defining factor of whether we are saved or not. He alone has the power to change our lives. He alone sets us free from the bondage of sin. He restores life, makes us one with God and in him, we are adopted sons of God.

All we need do is simple: just believe, obey Christ and be effective in our faith!

Your Debts Have Been Paid In Full. (Philemon v17-20)

Source: Prison Ministry Partners

So, the apostle Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus (v1) is contending the faith. His message is simple, just believe. He has already told Philemon to praise God through Jesus Christ, remember his new outlook on life and to be effective, now he turns to the soul purpose of the letter, Onesimus.

Verse 17
So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me. 

'my partner': Paul counts Philemon as a colleague in Christ and as such, instructs him to 'receive [Onesimus] as you would receive me'. The Gospel-powered event that caused Philemon to be changed automatically makes him a brother in Christ Jesus and now, Philemon hears Onesimus has experienced the very same life-changing power of the Gospel.

Verse 18-19
If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it - to say nothing of your owing me even your own self. 

Any debt due Philemon as a result of Onesimus' behaviour is to be credited to Paul's account and must be completely wiped clean from Onesimus' ledger. Paul testifies 'I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it', assuring Philemon any debt will be paid in full by Paul. However, Paul reminds the slave owner, that he, himself, is indebted to the apostle for being introduced to the Gospel, in fact, owes 'even [his] own self': his spiritual life is indebted to Paul because through him he was converted. This is a far greater debt than anything Onesimus owes Philemon.

Verse 20
Yes, brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ.

And so, Paul reiterates his request of Philemon by assuming he will follow his advice. 'I want some benefit from you in the Lord', it is clear Paul wants Philemon to 'obey' him, but by his own free choice. He wants Philemon to want to help Onesimus and in doing so, not only will he become more effective in his faith, he will 'refresh [Paul's] heart in Christ'.

Onesimus is free from the bondage of sin, he is no longer a slave to sin, he has been set free by the blood of Christ Jesus, just as Philemon has been. The same Gospel message that Philemon, the master of slaves heard that brought about his changed life was also heard by Onesimus, the slave. Therefore, by that very fact, if Philemon is to accept he is saved and now a prisoner of the Gospel (just as Paul is quite literally!), he must also accept Onesimus' new status as a Christian brother.

Paul models the transforming love of the Gospel, he takes its very essence and shows Philemon what it means to be effective in his faith. He declares he will repay all debts due to Philemon as a result of what Onesimus has done. In return, Philemon must declare Onesimus' ledger clean. This is the Gospel message!

Christ Jesus has ultimately repaid our debts, with his very life! In return, he declares our ledgers clean. Just as Philemon is indebted to Paul, we are indebted to Christ 'even [our] own self!

Because Christ died with our sin (i.e. our debt to God), we are no longer slaves to sin, but prisoners of God's grace.

Hallelujah!

Be changed! (Philemon v8-16)

Source: Brainerd Baptist Church

Last time, we discovered that Paul was instructing Philemon, master of slaves, convert to Christianity and someone who shares the Gospel in his house to be more effective. We were reminded that we need to let Christ have ALL our life and not just the little bits we want him having. Not leaving anything to chances, Paul goes on to explain how Philemon can be more effective in his spiritual life, according to the Gospel.

Verse 8-9

Accordingly, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required, yet for love's sake I prefer to appeal to you - I, Paul, an old man and now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus ...

Paul lets Philemon know that he has the authority, tenacity and boldness to command him to follow his instruction, but if he did, that would would defeat the purpose. Paul did not want Philemon to follow his instruction by compulsion, he wanted him to want to follow the instruction, because it is the loving thing to do 'yet for love's sake'. Again, Paul reminds Philemon that he is a prisoner for the sake of the Gospel, together with verse 1, 'Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus' surely suggests that Paul is appealing to Philemon's position as Master of slaves, someone who can govern the freedom of slaves (who live a life similar to prisoners - their freedom is not their own!). Not only that, this plea to which Paul is about to give comes with it a powerful standing. Paul is partaking in the suffering of Christ (as a prisoner for preaching the Gospel) right now and is an ambassador 'an old man' for the Gospel. These, together with Philemon's new status as 'prisoner of grace' builds a picture of similarity that would grasp Philemon's attention.

verse 10-12

... I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus whose father I became in my imprisonment. Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and me. I am sending him back to you, sending my very heart.

Here, we have Paul's plea on behalf of Onesimus, the runaway slave belonging to Philemon. Paul is doing the right thing by Roman law, returning what belongs to Philemon (i.e. a slave) and in doing so, appealing to him that he chooses to set him free. Paul informs Philemon that he has become Onesimus' spiritual father through sharing of the gospel and that he is so dear to him that Paul calls him, [his] 'very heart'. It is clear that Onesimus was originally 'useless' to Philemon. The reasons as to why are unknown, however I believe the point here is that Onesimus has undergone a life-changing event, has a new outlook in life, so powerful that his life is completely changed from what he was, to becoming 'useful to you and me'. Paul petitions Philemon on the basis that this life-changing event also happened in him, and, indeed, to Paul himself (i.e. on the road to Damascus - Acts 9). The fact that Onesimus has been helping Paul is evidence of this life-transformation.

Verse 13-14

I would have been glad to keep him with me, in order that he might serve me on your behalf during my imprisonment for the gospel, but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own accord.

Paul emphasizes that he feels strongly about Onesimus and his life-changing event, but given that he belongs to Philemon, Paul wants to allow Philemon to make a free choice 'for love's sake' and not because he feels compelled to. He wants to encourage Philemon in his faith, despite the letter being about Onesimus. Even now, whilst Paul experiences 'imprisonment for the gospel' does he show 'fatherly' interest in Philemon's (a former convert of Paul's) faith and righteous path. He does not want him to feel forced to obey Paul, although Paul is 'bold enough in Christ to command' him.

Verse 15-16
For this perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever, no longer as a bondservant but more than a bondservant, as a beloved brother - especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.

Paul is perhaps pointing towards divine intervention on the part of Onesimus' situation 'For this perhaps is why he was parted from you', suggesting that God has used the bad experience (i.e. Onesimus running away) to bring about a good experience (i.e. the conversion of Onesimus). It is clear, however, that Onesimus' life has changed and that he is no longer to be considered a slave 'more than a bondservant' by Philemon.  Notice, however, Paul is not suggesting that Philemon should release Onesimus from his position, and not just to treat him as a brother in Christ, but more than that 'a beloved brother ... in the flesh and in the Lord'. Paul allows Philemon to deal with his own household and 'property'. The life-changing event brought about by Christ will not affect your position in society, but your heart and out-look in life.

So, what would you do in the exact same position as Philemon? Would you ignore the strong hint from Paul? Would you carry on as you did before, treating your slave as a slave and nothing but a slave, despite them having become a Christian? OK, let me try and put this in a more modern way ...

Suppose you were an employer and you have lots of employees. You created your company from scratch and appointed every employee in every position. Then one day, one of your employees does something wrong and runs away. A short time later, you discover that he has been listening to the very guy you heard some time ago. A person who spoke about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and who helped you meet Jesus for the first time and changed your life. The employee returns with a letter that explains your employee is different, better and just like you. The letter urges you to let the employee off the hook, but acknowledges that the decision is yours.

Now, what would you do?

Well, Paul approaches the subject from the inside out. He directs Philemon toward the heart and the love of Christ that is within him.

When Christ enters our heart, he finds a heart that is enslaved to all kinds of sin. He finds a life that is governed by worldly passions and a darkness that empowers it.

He finds a slave.

But, he refuses to leave us that way.

He gives us his heart, his life, his love. We become changed. Paul says that Onesimus has been changed, just as Philemon, himself has been. Therefore, he should treat his former slave as a Christian brother, but more than that, he should choose to treat Onesimus according to his new status in Christ.

When we come face to face with the Father, He chooses to see us as Christ. Christ chose the cross to set us free from the slavery of sin. We are made perfect through Christ. He is in us and we are in him and the Father chooses only to see his perfect child.

Accept Christ today and he'll set you free.

I've been changed I've been newborn

All my life has been rearranged.

What a diff'rence it made

When the Lord came

And stayed in my heart

Oh yes, I've been changed.

by Mosie Lister

Pub: Lillenas Publishing Co.